One would be surprised to find out that 20 percent of our waking vacation time spent traveling. This is after you reach your destination and are settled in for the stay. You spend endless hours traveling around a strange town, often lost, looking for this attraction or that activity. Considering that you work for an entire year to earn this vacation, it seems like such a waste to spend so much of it going between various destinations when you could be investing your valuable time in leisure and activities. Denver Colorado has a solution for this issue in the form of the scenic Avalanche Ranch.

Located in the hills and backwoods of the Colorado hills, Avalanche Ranch is the ultimate relaxation getaway. Picture a scenic valley lined with various types of fruit trees and flowing plants. Or, if a winter wonderland is your idea of paradise, picture snow capped hills and trees as a gentle frosty flurry heralds the beginning of a nice scenic snow storm. You can have all this at the Avalanche Ranch, as it is open year round for both the summer and the winter vacationers.

The Avalanche Ranch is as the name hints at, a ranch. It is a distant farm like ranch sitting in a valley, reminiscent of a scene from a Smokey Mountain getaway. This thirty plus acre ranch does indeed set in a valley, but the valley itself sits high in the mountains. There are tons of activities to do in this distant pristine paradise.

There are miles of hiking trails for those who love a beautiful view. Each trail leads to one awesome panoramic scene or another, some overlooking the lovely Crystal River, and others simply to mountainside views. There are hundreds of forms of amazingly colorful flowers to be seen along the way. If hiking is your passion, then it is suggestible that you visit in the fall, as the changing of the leaves color is truly an impressive site to behold, particularly from the heights of the trails.

There is also a nearby stocked pond for the fisherman of the group with canoe rentals available. Again, Crystal River is another local favorite for the angler, as is Avalanche Creek that flows into the river. This is a great opportunity to take the kids fishing, as the stocked pond insures that the children will go away with at least a few fish per day.

For the adults, there is a lodge within feet of your cabin with a very comfortable lounge area complete with television, DVD player, and VHS player. There is a game room for visitors of all ages. The children will be thrilled to know that there are several spots set-aside specifically with them in mind. There is the Kids Cabin and the ever-popular tree house. In the playground they will find an abundance of things to do such as a good old-fashioned game of Horseshoes or Volleyball.

If the concept of peace, serenity, and some of the most amazingly scenic views all within walking distance appeals to you, perhaps it is time to let go of the idea of urban vacations this year and get back to basics in the mountains of Denver Colorado at the Avalanche Ranch.